Passages

by Erica Moore, Editor

Each month we will be including information about SCRABBLE players (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) Please send your news to the newsletter editor, Cornelia Guest, at CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.

KEN LAMBE

Kenneth Moore Lambe, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, age 72, died Saturday, May 16, of lung cancer at Genesys Hospice Care Center in nearby Goodrich. Ken was born in Detroit on June 21, 1936 to the late William and Isabel (McLaren) Lambe. He attended Van Dyke Elementary School in Detroit and won the Detroit Metropolitan Spelling Bee in 1950. He earned his Master's Degree in Education at Wayne State. He married Carol S. Finnegan on August 19, 1961. Ken was a professor at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron for 36 years and sponsored their Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. He wrote a comic strip called “Daphne” with his wife, who illustrated it. Ken was a professional pianist, IHL Hockey score keeper, and avid table tennis player. He also loved SCRABBLE.

Ken was one of the Midwest’s most successful SCRABBLE players (his rating was 2000 in 1991), strong on words and strategy. He won 26 tournaments, 3 in succession, and finished 7th in the National Championship SCRABBLE Tournament in 1989. His high tournament score, 716, was the third highest in American SCRABBLE history at the time. Ken directed one of the first SCRABBLE clubs in 1968 and ran several unofficial tournaments before there was a national organization. More recently he shared his expertise at weekly SCRABBLE sessions at the Grand Blanc Senior Activity Center. In a 1991 edition of SCRABBLE News, Ken gave the following advice to new players: “Work harder to maintain a vowel-consonant balance in your rack. Unless you have a very bingo-prone five or six letters, avoid playing off one or two tiles to fish for a bingo. Pay more attention to defense as you play tiles near premium squares. Be aware of the number of tiles in the bag near the end of the game.” Another rule of Ken’s: Don't let your opponent psyche you out. "Ignore it, in a polite way," Lambe advised. "You can make a comeback even if you're 100 points behind."

Surviving are wife Carol; 3 children, Jennifer, Jocelyn Brumwell, and Jeremy; 4 grandchildren, Zachary, Xavier, Matilda and Silas; and two brothers, Cameron and Donald. Ken was preceded in death by his parents. Your condolences may be shared with the family online at www.legacy.com.

SHARON SWERDLOFF

Sharon Swerdloff, of New York City, age 54, died this May after a long and courageous fight with cancer. Despite her illness, Sharon was always upbeat and cheerful. A long-time New Yorker, she began her SCRABBLE career in the 1970s at Manhattan’s Game Room, and she was a well-liked member of Club #56. Sharon was very bright, and she was always a strong competitor in tournament and club games.

Sharon worked on membership development for a nonprofit organization and in her spare time enjoyed songwriting. She also liked going to movies, theater, and tennis matches. At one point Sharon took a break from SCRABBLE to concentrate on her music, and recently she had enjoyed taking piano lessons with Lynn Cushman. She is survived by her sister, Rita Swerdloff.

ELLEN MILLER

Ellen J. Miller, 76, of Carlisle, MA, passed away on May 26th after a valiant battle with kidney cancer. For 27 years, Ellen was a senior administrator at Harvard Law School. She was the Features Editor for the Carlisle Mosquito newspaper at the time of her death. Ellen was also the author or co-author of four books: Video: A Guide for Lawyers; All this Reading: The Literary World of Barbara Pym; Images of America: Carlisle; and The Window Shop: Safe Refuge for Refugees. She founded the Barbara Pym Society of North America, which meets each year in Cambridge, and had been an active member of the Carlisle Historical Society.

Ellen, the daughter of Richard and Susanna Joachim, was born in Germany in 1933. When she was six months old and Hitler rose to power, the family fled to Amsterdam. In 1936, they moved to America, settling in Auburn, New York, where Ellen's father set up his medical practice. After graduating from the University of Rochester in 1955, Ellen earned a Master's Degree in Television at Syracuse University and worked as a television producer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a move to the Boston area in the early 70's, she joined the Harvard Law School, along with her husband, Professor Arthur Miller. At the Law School she created and organized a new Department of Media Services and served as Director of Education Technology and Director of Administrative Publications. Ellen's second husband, Bill Houssell, died in 2000. She is survived by her son, Matthew Miller, her daughter-in-law, Nicole Miller, and her grandchildren, Alex Miller and Rachael Miller, of Woodside, California.

Ellen will be remembered by her many friends as uniquely energetic, optimistic, and hard-working. She was a mixture of creativity and practical sensibility. She could get down on her knees and play make-believe with her grandchildren, or command an audience of educated historians. She was a competitive SCRABBLE player, although she claimed her national ranking was "dismally low," and was a regular at the Lexington (MA) SCRABBLE Club (#108). Ellen enjoyed each day that she lived to the fullest, whether starting new projects or traveling the world. Just last fall she traveled to Russia and Eastern Europe. Among Ellen’s many adventures, the trip that was most memorable to her was one to Germany, where she found the names of all her relatives who had not been as fortunate as she had been to escape the sad fate of so many Europeans caught up in World War II. Donations in Ellen Miller's name may be made to the American Cancer Society at Cancer.org. Condolences and memories can be shared online at www.legacy.com.

DOUG INGALLS

Douglas J. Ingalls, 55, the life partner of Lexington (MA) SCRABBLE Club #108 member Bruce Adams, died suddenly at home on Saturday, June 13. Although he didn’t play SCRABBLE (except open-book, at home), Doug often accompanied Bruce to tournaments. He also appeared with Bruce in plays, some of which Doug directed. The two were scheduled to open together in Stageloft Theater’s production “My Fair Lady” the following week, with Doug in the role of Henry Higgins and Bruce as Alfred P. Doolittle.

Doug is survived by Bruce, his lifetime partner of 31 years; a half-sister, Anita Bishop of Bellevue, NE; nieces, nephews and cousins. He was the son of the late John and Ruth (Bergstrom) Ingalls of Leicester. Doug was a manager with Showcase Cinemas for many years, before a mid-life career change led him into teaching, his true calling. He was a much-beloved English Teacher and Drama Director at Wachusett Regional High School for the past 14 years. During that time, his troupe, The Theater Company at Wachusett, won many awards, reaching the finals of the State High School drama competition 5 times. As an actor and director in local theater, Doug was considered among the most talented, hard-working and warm people in the business. His primary theater "home" was Stageloft Repertory Theater in Sturbridge, but over the years he worked with many local groups, including Worcester County Light Opera, Barre Players and Worcester Children's Theater. He was scheduled to direct “Grease” this summer for the Hanover Theater for the performing Arts Youth Summer Program. He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Please make donations in memory of Doug to the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. Checks should be made out to Unitarian Universalist Church, 90 Holden St., Worcester, MA 01606.

To see Bruce Adams' eulogy at Doug's memorial service click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iflpWq9plMU.

ROBERT EMMETT SMITH

Robert Emmett Smith, 73, of Reno, NV died of lung complications in Northern Nevada’s Medical Center on June 4, 2009. He leaves behind his younger brother Dean Smith of Colorado, three children, Kelly, Scott, and Kim, and several grandchildren in CA. Emmett served in the U.S. Army and was stationed at the Presidio in SF in his early twenties. He was a technician at Varian in Palo Alto later before embarking on a real estate career which spanned several decades in the Bay Area. He loved his morning crossword puzzles and the Jumble of the day. He memorized poems of Mark Twain and other humorist poets, held interests in history and politics, and lived colorblind in our diverse ethnic world. His years in San Francisco as a national SCRABBLE player during his retirement prompted him to move to Reno six years ago to join his word-loving comrades for the challenge of intellect and vocabulary, and he mentored many in the game at Washoe County's Senior Centers. He was loved for his infectious laugh and enduring strength and spoke highly of those who connected with him in recent years. The family will be holding a small, private ceremony in Silicon Valley. Remembrances are welcome, particularly from members of the SCRABBLE community. Please send your thoughts to:

Emmett Smith's Family
P.O. Box 2361
Reno, NV 89505-2361

FRIEDA (FRITZI) DAVIS

Frieda Davis, 94, of Laguna Woods Village, CA, passed away peacefully on May 31 with her family at her side. She had been diagnosed a few weeks earlier with lung cancer. She was preceded in death by her New York City firefighter husband, Harry, who died in 2001. She is survived by her daughter, Lynn Davis of Laguna Beach; her son Roy of Fox Island, WA; her two younger sisters, Bobbe of Manchester, NJ, and Edy of Richfield Springs, NY; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Born August 24, 1914 in New York City to August and Frieda Kisker, Frieda (whose nickname was “Fritzi”) was a woman ahead of her time. When her two children were small, she went back to work as Administrative Secretary with the New York City Board of Education, a position she held for 24 years. In the early ‘70s she and her husband moved to the West Coast, where she worked as an interviewer for the U.S. Census Bureau until her retirement in 1990. Always interested in learning, while she was working she also took courses in many fields, including technology, gerontology, hand knitting, and the fundamentals of golf.

Frieda was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was full of life and energy well into her nineties, impressing her many SCRABBLE-playing friends with her wit, her pep, and her game. She started playing serious tournament SCRABBLE in the early 1980s and played in over 100 tournaments nationwide. She was a long-time member of the Laguna Woods Village SCRABBLE Club.

Frieda was one of the original Tallulah Blankheads, a group of Orange County SCRABBLE players founded in 1995 to provide a marathon day of SCRABBLE playing (they played ten games starting at 8:00 a.m.) Usually by the tenth game a state of delirium and hilarity pervaded. Being one of the smallest in stature, she was given the endearing nickname of “Frieda Mosquita.” Paul Peters, the founder of the group, affectionately referred to Frieda as “The Phenom,” as all her life she was phenomenally inquisitive. Even in her nineties she was still seeking information in her perpetual quest for knowledge. Just a few years ago she traveled to China.

Frieda did fulfill one goal that 99% of professional Scrabblers have not done: She got to play OIDIOID on the board.

Gary Moss will be running a Memorial Tournament in Frieda’s honor in Laguna Beach on August 22-23.

A short video of Frieda’s life can be found at http://movies.island-escape.com/fritzi.wmv.

Send memories of Frieda to her son Roy at roy@island-escape.com. Donations in her honor can be made to the American Cancer Society.